Technology Stuff

Dec 17 2004 61 Comments

Dutch wife for hire

Back in April I mentioned the advancements in Japanese blow up doll technology, and that rather amusingly such devices go by the name of dutch wives.

But such lifelike silicone beauty comes at a cost, as a top of the range dutch wife will set you back a staggering 600,000 yen (3,000 pound). Now seeing as for most people this is an awful lot of money to spend on a recreational ‘toy’, the entrepreneurial Doll no Mori company has stepped in and started offering such manufactured mates on a rental basis.

As well as numerous satisfied customers, Doll no Mori’s owner, Hajime Kimura, is also more than happy with his new ’employees’. He says that currently he has four dolls and the company gets â€œat least one job a day, even on weekdays, so we made back our initial investment in the first month. [And] unlike employing people, everything we make becomes a profit and we never have to worry about the girls not turning up for work.”

The current charge for a 70-minute session is 13,000 yen (65 pound), although Kimura-san says that the two-hour option is the most popular. But with such high rental costs he does admit that customers would be financially better off just buying a doll, especially as the company has a large number of repeat customers and a growing membership of over 200.

To give things a more personal touch, the four dolls available for service are called Alice, Ai, Mayu, and Tina. And as the picture below shows, they can be dressed up in a variety of, erm, alluring outfits.

Now if all this wasn’t disturbing enough, the most popular doll by far is the large-eyed and mangaesque Alice, who/which most closely resembles a young girl.

And then of course there’s the hygiene aspect…

Dec 16 2004 5 Comments

Go! Go! Asimo!

Yesterday, Honda Motors unveiled the latest version of its two-legged robot Asimo.

The new model has an increased number of joints in its arms and legs, giving the diminutive robot more human-like movements. Plus sensors in Asimo’s head enable it to detect and avoid obstacles.

But perhaps the biggest advancement is in speed. Asimo’s walking pace has jumped from a painfully slow 1.6 km per hour, to a rather more respectable 2.5 km. And the robot is now able to run. Clocking in with a top speed of 3 km.

Yes, a measly 3 km per hour! Even I can run faster than that. Although it has to be said that the noise from Asimo’s mechanical movements is considerably quieter than my gasping and wheezing.

Plus it looks like the little fella has substantially more success with the ladies too.

For those of you with broadband, clicking here will allow you to see footage of Asimo in action.

Dec 13 2004 Leave a Comment

PSP passion

Yesterday saw the release of the Sony PSP, and as widely expected, the initial shipment was sold out by the end of the day. Perhaps even more predictable (despite a relatively low-key promotional campaign) were the lines of game enthusiasts lined up outside stores way before opening time.

The dedication of these people is shown in this picture I came across. The dark, cold, and ungodly hour appear to be only a minor hindrance compared to the shiny new handheld waiting inside.

And this young man’s beaming face proves that for him at least, the waiting and effort was undoubtedly worth it.

So with the PSP and the Nintendo DS now both out of the bag and enjoying equally brisk sales, it will be very interesting to see how the battle for handheld supremacy develops. Whilst I think there is room for both machines (as they appear to be targeting different audiences) there is also a great deal of overlap.

And with its sleek black design and surprisingly large screen, my money (for what it’s worth) is on the PSP.

Dec 03 2004 6 Comments

Elderly electronics

Yesterday, Business Design Laboratory Co (maker of the Hello Kitty robot) released the ifbot, a 45-centimetre robot designed to converse with the elderly.

For reasons unknown, the little chap is kitted out in an astronaut suit, whereas considering its target audience, a dirty old cardigan and food-stained shirt/blouse would have perhaps been more appropriate. But on the other hand it does have a glowing face (which I’m presuming is good). And as far as conversational competence goes, the ifbot has a similar ability to a 5-year-old, which is said to be just enough to help stave off senility.

As an example of the robot’s capabilities, given the question, “Today I’m in bad health,” the ifbot responds with, “Perhaps you are overtired. Why don’t you rest today?” And using its internal clock, it can join in a conversation about the weather by knowing what season it is. An absolute necessity it would seem when dealing with the weather obsessed elderly.

Combined with these conversational skills, the ifbot is also programmed to keep the aged healthy and their minds active, and as a result has a large repertoire of songs, quizzes, and old news stories. Although whether the perennial pensioner favourite bingo is amongst them wasn’t disclosed.

Also not mentioned in the ifbot’s design specs is the ability to respond to its owner’s everyday moans and complaints. And with a price tag of a pension busting 576,000 yen (2,900 pounds), its owners will certainly have something to grumble about.

Dec 02 2004 Leave a Comment

Fourteen-year-old forger

With a great deal of fanfare, the Bank of Japan recently released new and improved bills to reduce the growing number of forgeries in circulation. With their intricate designs, watermarks, and even holograms, the new notes are thought to be almost impossible to reproduce.

It’s a good job they did too, as on Wednesday Tokyo police arrested a 14-year-old-boy for copying old (but still in use) 1,000 yen bills on his home computer. Using nothing more advanced than a standard printer and scanner, the entrepreneurial youngster managed to produce notes that when compared with the genuine article were relatively easy to detect, but on their own would not have aroused suspicion.

And it seems that once again the evil internet played a telling part. The crafty counterfeiter learnt how to forge bills from an article in a magazine that he bought online.

Cut, paste, print, and you are all done

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